James Shigeta

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Male

birthday

June 17, 1929

died

July 28, 2014

place of birth

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, USA

also known as

James Saburo Shigeta · 繁田三郎

total credits

40 movies

Biography

James Saburo Shigeta (June 17, 1929 – July 28, 2014) was an American actor, singer, and musician of Japanese descent. He was noted for his roles in The Crimson Kimono (1959), Walk Like a Dragon (1960), Flower Drum Song (1961), Bridge to the Sun (1961), Die Hard (1988), and Mulan (1998). In 1960, he won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male, along with three other actors.

In his early career, Shigeta often played romantic male lead roles, which were almost nonexistent for an actor of Asian descent during his time, making him a trailblazer in Asian American representation in media. The Goldsea Asian-American Daily magazine listed him as one of the "Most Inspiring Asian-Americans Of All Time".

Before his Hollywood career he found success as a pop singer and performer abroad, especially in Japan and Australia.

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Known For

Filmography

40 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

Mulan
7.9

Mulan

1998as General Li (voice)
Die Hard
7.8

Die Hard

1988as Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi
Midway
6.6

Midway

1976as Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo
Brother
7.1

Brother

2000as Sugimoto
The Yakuza
7.1

The Yakuza

1974as Goro
Drive
6.1

Drive

1997as Mr. Lau
Lost Horizon
5.5

Lost Horizon

1973as Brother To-Lenn
China Cry
6.4

China Cry

1990as Dr. Sung
Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood
5.7

Yellowface: Asian Whitewashing and Racism in Hollywood

2019as (archive footage)
Flower Drum Song
6.3

Flower Drum Song

1961as Wang Ta
Cage
3.7

Cage

1989as Tin Lum Yin
The Slanted Screen
10.0

The Slanted Screen

2006as Himself
Walk Like a Dragon
6.3

Walk Like a Dragon

1960as Cheng Lu
Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die
6.8

Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die

1994as Det. Whoo
Midnight Man
5.5

Midnight Man

1995as Mao Mak
The Crimson Kimono
6.6

The Crimson Kimono

1959as Detective Joe Kojaku
The Young Lawyers
10.0

The Young Lawyers

1969as Lee Ahn
Matt Helm

Matt Helm

1975as Tom McCauley
Paradise, Hawaiian Style
5.2

Paradise, Hawaiian Style

1966as Danny Kohana
Cage II: The Arena of Death
3.4

Cage II: The Arena of Death

1994as Tin Lum Yin
Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb
6.0

Enola Gay: The Men, the Mission, the Atomic Bomb

1980as Field Marshal Abehata
Hollywood Chinese

Hollywood Chinese

2007as Self
Space Marines
3.5

Space Marines

1996as Ambassador Nakamura
Cry for Happy
5.6

Cry for Happy

1961as Suzuki
Samurai
9.0

Samurai

1979as Takeo Chisato
Bridge to the Sun
6.9

Bridge to the Sun

1961as Hidenari Terasaki
Nobody's Perfect
6.3

Nobody's Perfect

1968as Diver Toshi O'Hara
The Renegades
6.6

The Renegades

1982as Jimmy Lee
Carol for Another Christmas
5.9

Carol for Another Christmas

1964as Japanese Doctor
Tomorrow's Child
5.5

Tomorrow's Child

1982as Donald Shibura
The Questor Tapes
5.9

The Questor Tapes

1974as Dr. Chen
The People I've Slept With
4.5

The People I've Slept With

2009as Charles Yang
Slaying the Dragon
8.0

Slaying the Dragon

1988
Operation Heartbeat
8.0

Operation Heartbeat

1969as Chief Resident
Beam Me Up, Sulu
6.0

Beam Me Up, Sulu

2025as Self
The Killer Who Wouldn't Die
7.0

The Killer Who Wouldn't Die

1976as David Lao
Yorktown: A Time to Heal

Yorktown: A Time to Heal

2022as Admiral Heilachiro Nogura
Manila, Open City
8.5

Manila, Open City

1968as Captain Murakami
Death Walks in Laredo
7.3

Death Walks in Laredo

1967as Lester Koto
Escape to Mindanao
9.0

Escape to Mindanao

1968as Lt. Takahashi